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Kirbyjon Caldwell’s Windsor Village United Methodist Church of Houston May Leave United Methodist Denomination Over Ongoing Internal Debates

A predominantly African-American megachurch in Texas says it might leave the United Methodist Church amid the denomination’s ongoing debate over issues like homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

Windsor Village United Methodist Church of Houston, which has approximately 18,000 members, is undergoing a process of prayer and discernment for possibly leaving the UMC.

Floyd LeBlanc, chairman of the Windsor Village Staff-Parish Relations Committee, told The Christian Post in an interview on Wednesday that they were holding “a series of scheduled church gatherings, including an all-night prayer event.”

“We are praying continually and corporately,” explained LeBlanc. “We are also fasting as a congregation once a week.”

“We have invited guest speakers to bless, prepare and sustain us during this time. Bishop Tudor Bismark (from Africa) was with us recently and we look forward to a visit from Bishop Raphael Green (from Missouri).”

At issue was a concern that “the denomination may not remain the same” as a result of its internal debates, with LeBlanc adding that “our focus must remain on Christ and winning souls for Christ.”

Over the past several years, the UMC has been involved in increasingly intense debate over whether it should change its Book of Discipline, which says homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching.”

Next February, the UMC will hold a special General Conference session centered on whether to change their official positions or possibly reach a middle ground between conservatives and liberals.